Updated at 7:37 p.m., Saturday, September 22, 2007
Rainbow Wahine volleyball team wins at N. Mexico St.
Advertiser Staff
A rare meeting of ranked Western Athletic Conference volleyball teams went Hawai'i's way, just barely, Saturday in Las Cruces, N.M., as the 13th-ranked Rainbow Wahine held off 25th-ranked New Mexico State, 30-26, 28-30, 30-27, 28-30, 23-21.The 3-hour match gave Hawai'i (10-3) its seventh straight victory and sole possession of first place in the WAC, at 4-0. The Aggies (11-3), who had won their last four, dropped to 3-1.
The 'Bows never trailed in Game 1, with Juliana Sanders drilling eight kills. They never led in Game 2, but rallied from what was a 17-9 deficit to close to 27-26. UH scored the final five points of Game 3, then trailed throughout Game 4, making another late surge that was too little.
UH All-American Jamie Houston had a match-high 29 kills, with Sanders adding 18 and Aneli Cubi-Otineru 16. Sophomore Amber Kaufman, who did not start, had 13 kills in 19 swings and hit .632.
Krista Altermatt, who had a negative hitting percentage after Game 1, ended up with 20 kills for NMSU, which had five hitters with at least 10 kills.
Hawai'i plays at San Jose State Monday. Its next home match is Oct. 5 against Nevada. NMSU, which hosts this year's WAC Tournament, plays here Oct. 26.
